Unencapsulated reed contact relay



July 25, 1967 R3. STEHUK 3,333,216

UNBNCAPSULATED REED CONTACT RELAY Filed Oct. 21, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR RUDOLPH F. STEHLIK ATTY.

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.5

July 25, 1967 R. F. STEHLIK UNENCAPSULATED REED CONTACT RELAY Filed Oct.21,, 1965 FIG. 8

July 25, 1967 R. F. STEHLIK UNENCAPSULATED REED CONTACT RELAY 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 21, 1965 FIG. l5

.l-lllllll FIG.I6

United States-Pater 3,333,216 UNENCAPSULATED REED CONTACT RELAY RudolphF. Stehlik, Antwerp, Belgium, assignor to Automatic ElectricLaboratories, Inc., N orthlake, Ill., a

corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,800 Claims.(Cl. 335-106) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An electromagnetic relay with ahousinghaving first and second interlocking portions. Within the firstportion, about which there is wound an operating coil, there is mounteda magnetic core and contact sets comprising make and break" springs withV-shaped contact areas and armature springs with circular contact areas.The free ends of the contact springs and magnetic core extend into .thesecond housing portion, which itself comprises two interlocking sectionsbetween which there is mounted an armature and an armature cam tooperate the contact springs. In the second housing portion, the freeends of each set of contact springs protrude into a chamber-likeopening, formed when the sections of the second portion are interlocked,and each opening includes a back stop and .a shoulder portion upon whichthe make and break springs rest, respectively, to prevent bounce. Thefirst and second housing portions are maintained interlocked 'by meansof a magnetic coupling strip attached thereto, which also serves as amagnetic return path between the relay armature and core.

This invention relates to relays and in particular to plugin relayshaving unencapsulated contact springs protected by an outer housing.

U.S. Patent 3,128,356 to G. S. Lychyk et al., issued April 7,' 1964,shows a dry reed relay of the plug-in variety comprising an insulatingbobbin which houses glass encapsulated reed switches, and which may bein conjunction with a printed circuit matrix card of the general typeshown eg. in U.S. Patent 3,193,731, P. K. Gerlach et al., issued July 6,1965.

i -The relay according to the present invention is, in a way, animproved alternative to the aforementioned dry reed relay, and it may beused in connection with a printed circuit matrix of a design similar tothat shown in the above patent although many other uses are alsopossible.

It is accordingly one of the objects of the present invention to providea relay which incorporates many of the advantages ofa dry reed relay,and at the same time has many advantages which the dry reed relay lacks.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a relayWhose springs are entirely removed from the magnetic circuit of therelay, thus allowing for the use of larger, thicker springs, which inturn provide for higher contact ratings and longer spring life.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a relay permittingthe use of a variety of spring combinations rather than mere makes as inconventional dry reed relays.

Another object of the invention is to provide a relay, the springs ofwhich are independent of the armature of the relay, and are accessibleat any time for adjuting without interference with the armatureadjustment.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a relay which can beused in conjunction with a printed circuit card and, more particularly,a printed circuit matrix card.

A feature of this invention is an interlocking housing which comprisesthe outer closure of the'relay according to the invention.

Another feature of the invention is a strip which has a two fold purposeof: (1) providing a spring for maintaining the housing portions of therelay according to the invention in an interlocking relation and (2)providing a magneticreturn path for the magnetic circuit of the relayaccording to the invention.

Still another feature of the relay according to the invention is that aportion of its housing receives the free ends of the springs to provideindividual chambers for each set of springs and supports for dampeningoscillations of the springs during operation.

Another feature of the relay according to the invention is the V-shapeof the break and make springs at their contact areas and the circularcontact area on the armature springs which fit into the V-shaped makeand break springs to insure adequate contact mating.

Other objects and features of the invention will become more apparent byreference to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of a relay according tothe invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the relay of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectioned View of the relay of FIG. 1 along the line 3--3.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the upper section of the right hand interlockingportion of the relay shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the section of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the lower section of the right hand interlockingportion of the relay shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the section of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the section of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the armature cam of the relay of FIG. 3according to the invention.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the armature cam of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the armature of the relay of FIG. 3 accordingto the invention.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the core of the relay of FIG. 3 according tothe invention.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the magnetic return strip of the relay of FIG.3 according to the invention.

FIG. 14 is a top view of the magnetic return strip of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a sectioned view of the magnetic return strip of FIG. 13along the line 15-15.

FIG. 16 is sectioned view of the contacting portion of the relay springsof the relay of FIG. 3 according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a relay according to theinvention. Relay 10 comprises two interlocking housing portions 11 and12. The left hand portion 12 has coil 14 wound thereabout. Coilterminals 15 and terminal portions 16 of the relay springs protrude fromportion 12 so that the relay may be plugged into a printed circuit card.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of relay 10. Here, magnetic return strip 13-can be seen snapped on to right hand portion 11 and secured in portion12 at point 39.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of relay 10. Looking first at the left handportion 12, it can be seen that relay springs 23, 24, and 25 and core 21are held in position within portion 12 by means of assembly pin 35, andare insulated from one another by insulation 40 which also serves tolock the relay springs and core in place by means of protrusions 47.Moving to the right of FIG. 3, section 43 is provided so that operatingcoil 14 (FIGS. 1 and 2) may be wound about portion 12 of the relayhousing. As can be seen, the free ends of armature, make and breaksprings 23, 24, and 25,respectively, extend into portion 11 of relay 10.Portion 11 comprises two interlocking sections 17 and 18, which in turninterlock with portion 12 at point 41. Armature 19 is pivotly mounted ingroove 44 which is formed when sections 17 and 18 are joined together.

On the free end of core 21 there is located a residual disc 22 whichprevents armature 19 from sticking to the core end upon deenergizationof the coil. Once again magnetic return strip 13 can be seen holdinginter-locking sections 17 and 18, which comprise portion 11, and

portion 12 securely in place.

It is to be noted that the magnetic circuit of relay 10 follows the patha, b, c, d, e, f and thus relay springs 23, 24 and 25 are entirelyremoved therefrom. Armature cam 20', which is non-magnetic, supplies thephysical link to operate the springs. Thus the springs of the relay neednot be made of magnetic material, and because they are not within themagnetic circuit of the relay, may be larger, thicker springs to providehigher contact ratings and longer spring life.

In the embodiment shown, both housing portions 11 and 12 are made of atransparent polymethyl methacrylate material.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show more detailed views of section 17 which comprises theupper half of portion 11 as shown in FIG. 3. Looking at these views, itbecomes apparent that relay has four sets of contacts each comprising anarmature make, and break spring, as shown in FIG. 3. Each of the sets ofsprings has been provided with its own chamber-like opening 29 to guideand house the free ends of the armature and make springs. In thismanner, it is less likely that any one of the sets of springs willinterfere with the other sets during the operation of the relay. Also,each set has its own guide to insure positive functioning of the relay,Portions 48 serve as back stops for make springs 24 to preventoscillations thereof.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show in more detail, section 18 which is the lower halfof portion 11 as shown in FIG. 3. Here, shoulder portions 30 provide astop for the break springs 25. Shoulder portions 30 also help to dampenspring oscillations which may occur upon deenergization of the relaycoil.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show in detail armature cam 20 which is located atposition 44, FIG. 3, between sections 17 and 18. As can be seen in FIG.9, armature cam 20 is wide enough to operate all of the four armaturesprings 23 of relay 10. (see FIG. 3) at once. Also, in a preferredembodiment of the relay, armature cam 20 is made of lightweight acetaldelrin and in addition has a cut-out center portion 32 to provide aneven lighter load for the relay armature 19, thus using a minimum ofcurrent to operate the relay.

FIG.11 shows armature 19. Here, edge portions 33, by which armature 19is pivotally mounted between sections 17 and 18 can be readily seen.Armature 19 is slightly wider than armature cam 20 at their contact areato insure that an equal force is applied to all of the armature springsas they are operated.

FIG. 12 shows a top view of core 21 of the relay. Residual disc 22 isprovided at the free end of core 21 to prevent the relay from being heldoperated when the coil is deenergized. Core 21 is Wider than armature 19at their point of contact, also to insure adequate mating. Aperture 34is provided to allow assembly pin 35 (FIG. 3) to secure core 21 alongwith the relay springs, in position in portion 12 of the relay, andapertures 49 are provided to receive a pair of insulation protrusions 47and a raised portion of the housing 50 to prevent the core fromshifting.

A preferred material for core 21 is nickel-iron.

FIGS. 13, 14, and show in detail magnetic return strip 13. The strip iswide with an indented center portion 45 and is located along one side ofrelay 10.

Portions 37 are fitted into portion 12 at points 39 of the relay housingand then lip 36 is snapped over portion 11 (as shown in FIG. 3) tosecure the housing of relay 10. Magnetic return strip 13 has theadditional function a of completing the magnetic circuit of the relay. Apreferred material for return strip 13 is pure soft iron with a zincplating which has been chromate treated.

FIG. 16 shows a cross section of the contact areas 26, 27, and 28 ofsprings 23, 24, and 25, respectively. The armature spring contact area26 is circular and the make and break spring contact areas 27 and 28 areV-shaped, preferably at a angle. The purpose of designing the springs asshown is to insure a good contact when the relay is operated. Morecontact surface area is provided by shaping the contacts as shown, thusbetter mating is provided. In the embodiment shown, the springs are madeof nickel-silver with a silver-palladium inlaid strip covering thecontact surface.

A more detailed description of the relay and its operation according tothe invention will now be given.

First the relay will be plugged into position on a printed circuit cardby means of its terminal portions 15 and 1 6. Now it is ready foroperation. To operate relay10, the relay coil is energized. This movesthe free end of armature 19 which is pivotally mounted at position 31between sections 17 and 18 upward toward the free end of core 21. Asarmature 19 is drawn close to core 21, armature cam 20, which is movablymounted at position 44, between sections 17 and 18 (see FIG. 3),substantially perpendicular to armature 19, is lifted. In turn armaturecam 20 rests against armature springs 23 and lifts them so that theircontact areas 26 will break with contact areas 28 of break springs 25and make with contact areas 27 of make springs 23.

When the coil is deenergized armature cam 20 will be pushed againstarmature 19 due to the force of the tensioned armature springs 23 andmake springs 24. Armature 19 will in turn move away from core 21 withoutsticking because of residual disc 22 at the free end of core 21. Thusthe relay is returned to its normal state.

It will be noted that shoulder portions 30 of section 18, shown best inFIGS. 6, 7, and 8, and portions 48 of section 17 serve to dampen theoscillations of break springs 25 and make springs 24, respectively,which may tend to bounce when the relay returns to its unoperatedcondition.

Adjustment of the relay springs is simple to accomplish. It may be donewithout unplugging relay 10 from its position in the printed circuitcard.

First magnetic return strip 13 is snapped away from the relay housing byremoving it first from point 46. Next it is pulled out of its imbeddedposition 39 in portion 12. When magnetic return strip 13 isdisconnected, portion 11 may be removed from portion 12 exposing thefree ends of the relay springs and making them accessible foradjustment. If need be, sections 17 and 18 making up portion 11 can beseparated and armature cam 20 may be replaced. Also, armature 19 maythen be removed and replaced or any necessary work then may be done onit.

Replacement of the parts after an adjustment has been made isaccomplished in a manner reverse from th disassembling procedurementioned above.

Thus, the relay according to the invention may be adjusted with verylittle effort and all parts are easily replaceable if the need arises.

In summary the relay according to the invention incorporates many of theadvantages of a dry reed relay such as speed of operation and the use ofan enclosed housing to keep the relay contacts dust and dirt free. Anadditional advantage is that the springs and thus the contact areas areremoved from the magnetic circuit of the relay to permit the use oflarger contacts to allow higher contact ratings, and to make it possibleto use springs made of non-magnetic material. Also the relay accordingto the invention provides an increased magnetic circuit efiiciency,allowing, e.g., groups of breakmake contact combinations to be used in asingle relay.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes andmodifications may be made without departing from this invention in itsbroadest aspects and therefore the aim in the appended claims is tocover all such changes and modifications as in the true spirit and scopeof this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic switching device comprising: housing means ofnon-magnetic material having a first and second portion; said firstportion carrying winding means and having mounted therein a magneticcore and a plurality of non-magnetic spring contact members andinsulated from one another and from said core, one end of each saidspring members protruding from one end of said first portion to formterminals, said second portion comprising mutually interlockingsections, with an armature and armature cam located between saidsections, said second portion being removably interlocked with'saidfirst portion, and said armature through the medium of said armature camupon energization of said winding means being magnetically attracted bysaid core to actuate the free end of said spring members; and a couplingstrip for maintaining said first portion and said section of said secondportion in an interlocked relation and providing a magnetic return pathbetween said armature and :said core.

2. An electromagnetic switching device as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid armature is pivoted between said sections of said second portion ata point remote from said first portion and said armature cam issubstantially perpendicular to said armature and located between saidsections at another point intermediate said first portion and said firstmentioned point.

3. An electromagnetic switching device as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid plurality of non-magnetic spring contact members comprise one thirdmake, one third break and one third armature springs, wherein one ofsaid sections of said second portion has integrally molded therein aplurality of chamber-like openings, each having back stop portions, andthe other of said sections has integrally molded therein a plurality ofcorrespondingly aligned shoulder portions and wherein the free ends ofsaid armature and make springs enter said chamber-like opening with thefree ends of said make sprin'gs resting on said back stops and saidbreak springs resting on said shoulder portions so that upondeenergization of said winding means said make and break springs aresubstantially prevented from bouncing.

4. An electromagnetic switching device as claimed in claim 3, whereinthe contact area of each of said make and break springs is substantiallyV-shaped and the contact area of each of the armature springs issubstantially circular to insure adequate mating of said contacts.

5. An electromagnetic switching device comprising:

a housing of non-magnetic material having a first and second portion;said first portion including a plurality of spring contact members and amagnetic core, and carrying winding means, said second portion beingremovably interlocked with said firs-t portion, armature means supportedin said second portion and upon the energization of said winding means,

being magnetically attracted by said core to actuate said spring contactmembers; and a coupling strip .of magnetic material, external of, andremovably attached to said firs-t and second portions and being in closerelation with said armature means, for maintaining said portions in saidinterlocked relation and providing a magnetic return path between saidarmature means and said core.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,562,091 7/1951 Harrison -Q.335-133 BERNARD A. GI-LHEANY, Primary Examiner.

H. A. .LEW-ITTER, Assistant Examiner.

5. AN ELECTROMAGNETIC SWITCHING DEVICE COMPRISING: A HOUSING OFNON-MAGNETIC MATERIAL HAVING A FIRST AND SECOND PORTION; SAID FIRSTPORTION INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPRING CONTACT MEMBERS AND A MAGNETICCORE, AND CARRYING WINDING MEANS, SAID SECOND PORTION, BEING REMOVABLYINTERLOCKED WITH SAID FIRST PORTION, ARMATURE MEANS SUPPORTED IN SAIDSECOND PORTION AND UPON THE ENERGIZATION OF SAID WINDING MEANS, BEINGMAGNETICALLY ATTRACTED BY SAID CORE TO ACTUATE SAID SPRING CONTACTMEMBERS; AND A COUPLING STRIP OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL, EXTERNAL OF, ANDREMOVABLY ATTACHED TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS AND BEING IN CLOSERELATION WITH SAID ARMATURE MEANS, FOR MAINTAINING SAID PORTIONS IN SAIDINTERLOCKED RELATION AND PROVIDING A MAGNETIC RETURN PATH BETWEEN SAIDARMATURE MEANS AND SAID CORE.